Conventional server chassis are designed so that server sleds (also commonly called server blades) are connected to a backplane or other server interconnect via connectors disposed in-line with the direction of insertion of the server sled into the server chassis. With this arrangement, the technician installing the server sled may apply force in a single direction to both insert the sled into the server chassis and couple the sled to the server chassis connector at the back of the server chassis and in line with the direction of the insertion force.
However, as server chassis are becoming denser, additional components are introduced into the server chassis that prevent in-line connection of the server sled into the server chassis. In some server chassis, power supply units or other components are oriented in such a way to prevent conventional server sleds from simple in-line connection. The addition of power supply units or other components creates an asymmetrical environment for the server sled. This can require multiple sled designs, thus increasing cost for manufacturing and servicing. Further, in many implementations, the technician building, maintaining, or modifying the computing system does not have a clear view of the connector on the backplane during the sled coupling process, and thus is required to attempt to couple the connector on the sled with the corresponding connector at the backplane without visual cues. This frequently leads to misalignment resulting in damage to the connectors or the sleds themselves.